Dayna wrote:I heard coyotes howling outside late last night. It was a very chilling sound coming from the dark cold air outside but I loved it.

There was a documentary the other night about how they had re-introduced the Wolf into Yellowstone and they killed loads of Coyotes - there was footage of a killing and the wolves took no prisoners. I wish predators would leave each other alone and eat herbivores instead!

Our neighbours had a parrot, and when they were out one afternoon the rent man called. When he knocked on the door, from inside the parrot said 'Who is it?' The rent man said 'It's the rent man'. The parrot repeated his question:'Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man'

By now the poor old rent man was starting to feel faint with extreme exasperation.

'Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man''Who is it''It's the rent man'

...and the poor guy collapsed on the doorstep just as my neighbours returned. They said to each other 'Who is it? and the parrot replied 'it's the rent man!'

I'm not convinced either, Des. If migration remains slightly mysterious I don't mind. This morning I saw (rather than heard) my first chiffchaff, that unheralded harbinger of spring. How a birdie that size gets from Africa to these shores in one piece is a minor miracle. This one might have cheated and overwintered in Britain. It declined to answer any questions.

I know dolphins, whales and bats navigate by sonar. It's interesting how they can tell when to come back to a place. I've heard hammerhead sharks find food by electric current in their head. I often wonder if all the radio waves from our cell phones could harm them or us.

Once on a wild life show on Animal Planet I heard the sounds that come from a sperm whale are so powerful, they can stun or kill a human if they're close. I think I heard that whales have songs going amongts each other too, that go around different parts of the ocean. Pretty amazing!

And the good news is that the hummingbirds survived the snow of last night! There are several of them now. We don't expect snow this time of year — and often the birds arrive here and we have cold rain and they die, so I was a bit concerned.

I have to say Jon Hagstrum's theory of how birds navigate while migrating does stretch the mind a little. I would guess that birds navigate using several senses and this may be one of them among others. Whatever else, it does give the too-frequently reviled expression World Music a new meaning, not to mention reinforcing Sound of the World!

Hurray, I broke my duck yesterday as an observer for the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Shorewatch scheme: after weeks of zero returns I was finally able to log Minke whales off Tiumpan Head, Isle of Lewis. This is the latest location added to the Shorewatch scheme so is not on the website yet - Tiumpan Head is at the very easternmost point of Lewis and one of the very best places in Britain to watch cetacea.

I hear that large numbers of Fin Whales have been seen down south, I hope they come up through the Minch in the coming weeks.